Radio 3 to broadcast birdsong as it launches 'slow radio'

Radio 3 is to broadcast a track of birdsong every Sunday morning as it launches a “slow radio” bid to help the nation get back to nature.

The BBC station is to run snippets of birdsong at around two minutes long, as part of a new breakfast-time feature starring nightingales, cuckoos and garden warblers.

It follows Radio 4’s successful Tweet of the Day slot, which airs bird calls alongside a short segment of information about the bird itself.

Radio 3’s version will attempt to marry the popularity of the early-morning clip with a trend for “slow tv”, pioneered in Scandinavia and recently broadcast to critical acclaim on BBC Four, with radio.

It comes as part of a series of commissions by new Radio 3 controller Alan Davey, as he and the BBC fight to prove they are sufficiently distinctive from their commercial rivals.

A nightingaleCredit:
REX

The station broadcast its first Breakfast Birdsong this weekend, marking “international dawn chorus day”, and now intends to make it a weekly slot.

Other birdsong-related shows will see Radio 3’s Late Junction and World on 3 record special shows as folk arist Sam Lee and musicians perform in the Sussex woodland to explore whether the nightingales will join in.

It is intended to echo a famous 1924 BBC broadcast, which saw cellist Beatrice Harrison perform in her garden while a nightingale sang along.

Later in the summer, Radio 3 will also broadcast from the Aldeburgh Festival, where a soloist will perform Messiaen’s birdsong-inspired Catalogue d’Oiseaux at moments from dawn until full darkness, to reflect the chorus of the birds that inspired it.

A garden warbler Credit:
David Chapman/Alamy

Alan Davey, controller of BBC Radio 3, said: “BBC Radio 3 wants to connect people with remarkable music and culture, and one way we can do that is to encourage people to discover a different pace and to reconnect with both music and the world around them in a distinctive and beautiful way.

“We know our audience has a love for the natural world and that birdsong is an enduring British interest, and we hope that these new birdsong-inspired features and performances, as part of Radio 3’s wider exploration of ‘slow radio’ will offer our audiences a real chance to reflect and catch-up.

“It’s a timeout in this busy, fast-paced world, from full length symphonies, operas and dramas through to soundscapes and spoken word that take you to another world.

“And if you have never heard a nightingale before this will bring magic into your life.”